For many years containers used to hold food products have employed aseptic valves. Such valves have allowed a sterilized container to be filled and discharged without contaminating the product with outside contaminants. Further, such valves frequently include steam tracing ports, whereby steam may be introduced into the valve and container for sterilization thereof prior to filling with product. As should be apparent, such valves involve elaborate mechanisms for aseptically opening and closing the valve as well as to facilitate drainage and sterilization. These rather involved mechanisms make the costs of such valves prohibitively expensive for use with returnable container systems.
Other systems employ an aseptic bag within a box container which uses a plug type valve wherein the plug is punctured for filling purposes and then a lid is heat sealed in place after filling. The container is then punctured when the contents are to be used. The container may not be resealed and all of the product must be used at once. This system also has the disadvantage of requiring special piercing tools.
Thus, there is clearly a need in the art for a portable, reusable, positive seal valve which can be sterilized along with the container and opened and closed under aseptic conditions. The portable component of the valve must be inexpensive relative to the elaborate aseptic valves found in the prior art.